25 “Married With Children” secrets you didn’t know about

This unconventional family show worked it’s way into the hearts of many and until today remains one of the most widely recognized sitcoms. Even if you were a diehard fan, there are lots of well-kept secrets. Here are 25 “Married…With Children” secrets you definitely didn’t know about.

Peggy Invented Her Signature Look

Katey Sagal was the one who originally came up with the Peggy Bundy style when she showed up to her audition dressed like a cocktail waitress, and it worked!

Kung Fu Master

Ed O’Neil who played Al Bundy worked his way up to a black belt in Brazilian jujitsu.

The “Lost Episode”

There is one so-called ‘lost’ episode called “I’ll See You In Court” that didn’t make it onto the air until FX showed it in 2002, 5 years later.

Roseanne Almost Played Peggy!

Roseanne was originally offered the role of Peggy Bundy by FOX.

Married With Children Goes Global

There was a Russian remake of the show which literally translates to “Happy Together!”

The Cast Loved To Rock Out

The Famous Cottage Is Real!

The family’s house from the show’s introduction is actually a real house in Deerfield, Illinois 25 miles north of Chicago.

The Pilot

Kelly and Bud Bundy were originally played by Tina Caspary and Hunter Carson in the unaired pilot, and they were quickly both replaced by Applegate and David before the series went on to air.

FOX’s First Prime Time Show

The Show aired on Sunday, April 5, 1987. The pilot episode went live at 7PM EST, and it was followed by the series “The Tracey Ullman Show” at 8PM.

The Theme Song

The familiar song “Love And Marriage” was originally recorded by Frank Sinatra and eventually ended up as the show theme song which was also released on 1956’s “This Is Sinatra!”

Kramer Was Almost Cast

Two years before landing the role as Kramer on Seinfeld, Michael Richards auditioned for the part of Al Bundy. The producer of the show Michael Moye admitted that no one was getting the role right, and it wasn’t until Ed O’Neill walked in that he knew he had his Al Bundy.

Bud Was A Real Life Rapper

Bud Bundy aka Grandmaster B, released an album as “D’Lil Balistyx” in 1992. Also, Bud Bundy’s room in the show was designed by David himself, including all the posters of artists like Nas and Ice Cube.

Jeff Darcey OO7

The actor, Ted Mcginley complained his character was turning into such a pansy, so the writers created a secret agent role for him.

O’Neill Got His Star!

Ed O’Neill got his Hollywood star on the walk of fame on August 30, 2011, and it was placed right in front of a DSW shoe store on Hollywood Boulevard

Different Show Same Highway

The shot of the cars on the interstate in the opening credits was taken from 1983’s National Lampoon’s Vacation.

Personal Birthday Messages

Ed O’Neill used to make birthday and holiday phone calls to fans in character, and in true Al Bundy style, he called them to collect.

Vacation Spoiler!

While Ed O’Neill was on vacation, he overheard a couple talking about the newspaper article announcing the end of the show “Married With Children.” This is how he found out the show was being cancelled.

Close But No Emmy

“Married With Children” was the longest running show without an Emmy. That is until “Baywatch” ended in 2001, also without one single Emmy.

Vinnie Made It To The Top

Matt LeBlanc guest starred as Kelly’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, Vinnie. He also starred in the Married With Children spinoff Top of the Heap which failed.

Families Named After Wrestlers

Contrary to popular belief, the Bundys were not named after serial killer Ted Bundy. Instead they were named after King Kong Bundy who guest starred on two episodes.

Blondes Have More Fun

Christina Applegate had to wear a long blond wig for most of Season 10 after she had dyed her hair red for her role in Nowhere.

It’s Not A Dodge!

Although Al calls it his “Mighty Dodge” the car in the show is really a 1972 Plymouth Duster.

The Cast’s Best Friend

Buck the dog was on the show from the day the show began until the day it ended. Sadly, he passed away at age 13 in 1996

The Budget Was Really Low

During the first seasons, the budget was really low. During the episode when Buck the dog went shopping, the items he bought were brought to the set by the cast and staff of the show.

Peg Wore A Wig

Peg’s hair was so large that she wore a wig. I the first seasons though due to the low budget they could not afford a wig and used her actual hair for this hairdo.

O’neill Based Al On Some Friends And Family Members.

Ed O’neill based Al’s character and mannerisms on friends and other people he knew. He figured since they didn’t get FOX in his hometown, it would take a few months for them to get mad at him.

The Show Ruined O’neill’s Movie Career

During the filming of the show Ed O’neill tried getting roles in movies, but all the focus groups laughed when they saw him.

There Were Two Failed Spin-Offs

The show actually made two separate attempts at spin-offs. One of those was presented in season 10, in the episode “Enemies” and was supposed to be a low brow version of ‘Friends’.

Ed O’neill Got The Role Thanks To A Previous Role

Ed O’neill got his audition thanks to his role as Lenny on ‘Mice and Men’.

The Show Became Popular Thanks To An Angry Activist

An angry family values activist started a letter writing campaign about the shows poor values. This actually got so much media coverage that people started noticing the show and it became really popular.

Animosity On And Off Camera

Ed O’neill mentioned in an interview that he really didn’t get along with Amanda Bearse, the actress who played Marcy. Which is pretty amusing considering his character disliked her too.

Sam Kinison Was Al Bundy’s Guardian Angel

Sam Kinison was initially supposed to play the character of Al Bundy. When that didn’t pan out they cast him as Al’s guardian angel in a few episodes.

Peggy’s Maiden Name Was Awkward

Peggy’s maiden name is mentioned very few times in the show. Her maiden names was Wanker.

All Hail “The Cosby Show”

According to an article from the LA Times, The title of the show while it was in pre-production was “Nod To The Cosbys” to acknowledge the feel-good series “The Cosby Show” that was also popular at the time.

Producers Are Fun Too!

The Producer of Married With Children Ron Leavitt, once won a competitive eating contest against wrestling legend King Kong Bundy. Since then he has unfortunately lost a battle with cancer.